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    Home » Recipes » Christmas

    Easy Christmas Fairy Cakes with Sprinkles

    Published: Nov 15, 2023 · Modified: Sep 23, 2024 by Beth Sachs · 1 Comment · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    Christmas fairy cakes pin image.

    Easy Christmas fairy cakes with a simple white icing glaze and topped with festive sprinkles.

    The vanilla sponge is light and fluffy, and the kids will love decorating the simple fairy cakes for Christmas. You might also like my easy Christmas cake muffins!

    Fairy cakes on a wooden board.

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    Making and decorating these fairy cakes is a fun rainy-day Christmas activity.

    I let my children go mad with the sprinkles (as you can tell from the photos!).

    These festive fairy cakes are perfect for Christmas parties, buffets, and bake sales.

    👩‍🍳 Love Christmas baking? Try my easy mincemeat crumble slices too!

    Jump to:
    • ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
    • 🛒 Ingredient notes
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🍴 Serving suggestions
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🥡 Storage
    • ❓ Frequently asked questions
    • 😋 More Christmas baking recipes
    • Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!

    1. Easy fairy cake recipe.
    2. A fun Christmas activity for kids.
    3. The fairy cakes are freezer friendly.
    4. Recipe can easily be doubled.

    🛒 Ingredient notes

    Ingredients for Christmas fairy cakes.

    Butter - unsalted butter that has been softened. You can also use soft margarine such as Stork.

    Sugar - caster sugar or golden caster sugar.

    Eggs - 2 large eggs at room temperature.

    Vanilla - 1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract.

    Flour - self-raising flour helps the sponges to rise.

    Icing Sugar - mixed with a little water for the icing drizzle.

    Sprinkles - festive sprinkles of your choice.

    🔪 Instructions

    The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post

    One: Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 fan/ Gas 4) and line a 12 hole bun tin with paper cases.

    Two: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

    Three: Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

    Four: Fold in the flour then spoon into the paper cases.

    Five: Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

    Six: For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar and water (add the water gradually as you may not need all of it) until you get a thick drizzling consistency. Spoon the icing onto the tops of the fairy cakes and finish with the sprinkles. Allow the icing to set for 1 hour before serving.

    Making fairy cakes - step by step photo instruction collage.

      🍴 Serving suggestions

      Serve the Christmas fairy cakes at festive gatherings and parties. They always make an appearance at our Boxing Day buffet, along with puff pastry sausage rolls, Christmas tiffin, Christmas star biscuits, and cranberry and white chocolate blondies!

      Christmas fairy cakes.

      📖 Variations

      • Make chocolate fairy cakes by replacing 25g of the flour with cocoa powder.
      • Flavour the sponge with orange zest or cinnamon instead of vanilla.
      • Decorate the tops with a buttercream icing or melted chocolate.
      • Add milk chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or raisins to the fairy cakes.

      🥡 Storage

      Store - Once cooled and decorated, place the fairy cakes in an airtight container or cake tin. They will keep for up to 3 days. They are best eaten on the day they are made though.

      Freeze - The fairy cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months minus the white icing. Defrost at room temperature before serving.

      Christmas fairy cakes with sprinkles.

      ❓ Frequently asked questions

      What is the difference between a fairy cake and a cupcake?

      Cupcakes are generally bigger than fairy cakes and frosted with buttercream rather than a simple drizzle icing.

      Why are my fairy cakes dry?

      If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, the fairy cakes will be dry.

      How long will fairy cakes stay fresh?

      The cakes will keep in a cake tin for up to 3 days. The cakes can also be frozen for up to three months.

      😋 More Christmas baking recipes

      • Mincemeat Muffins
      • Frangipane Mince Pies
      • Puff Pastry Mince Pies
      • Puff Pastry Mincemeat Pinwheels
      • Mincemeat Blondies
      • Chocolate Orange Brownies
      Fairy cakes with Christmas sprinkles with red ribbon.

      Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!

      Recipe

      Fairy cakes with festive sprinkles.
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      5 from 4 votes

      Easy Christmas Fairy Cakes with Sprinkles

      Easy Christmas fairy cakes with a white icing glaze and topped with festive sprinkles.
      Course Baking
      Cuisine British
      Prep Time 8 minutes minutes
      Cook Time 12 minutes minutes
      Total Time 20 minutes minutes
      Servings 12
      Calories 233kcal
      Author Beth Sachs
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      Equipment

      • Kitchen Scales
      • Mixing Bowl
      • 12 Hole Bun Tin
      • 12 Fairy Cake Cases

      Ingredients

      Metric - US Customary
      • 100 g Butter softened
      • 100 g Caster Sugar
      • 2 Eggs
      • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
      • 100 g Self Raising Flour

      For the icing

      • 300 g Icing Sugar sieved
      • 2-3 tablespoon Water
      • 4 tablespoon Sprinkles

      Instructions

      • Preheat the oven to 180°C (160 fan/ Gas 4) and line a 12 hole bun tin with paper cases.
      • In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
        100 g Butter, 100 g Caster Sugar
      • Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
        2 Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
      • Fold in the flour then spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
        100 g Self Raising Flour
      • Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
      • For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar and water (add the water gradually as you may not need all of it) until you get a thick drizzling consistency. Spoon the icing onto the tops of the fairy cakes and finish with the sprinkles. Allow the icing to set for 1 hour before serving.
        300 g Icing Sugar, 2-3 tablespoon Water, 4 tablespoon Sprinkles

      Notes

      Expert Tips:
      • Make sure the eggs are at room temperature to ensure the cakes rise.
      • Don't overfill the paper cases. Equally distribute the mixture between 12 cases. It won't look like a lot of mixture in each case, but they will rise!
       
      Variations:
      • Make chocolate fairy cakes by replacing 25g of the flour with cocoa powder.
      • Flavour the sponge with orange zest or cinnamon instead of vanilla.
      • Decorate the tops with a buttercream icing or melted chocolate.
      • Add milk chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or raisins to the fairy cakes.
       
      Storage:
      Store - Once cooled and decorated, place the fairy cakes in an airtight container or cake tin. They will keep for up to 3 days. They are best eaten on the day they are made though.
      Freeze - The fairy cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months minus the white icing. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
       
      Nutrition:
      The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
       
      Nutrition Facts
      Easy Christmas Fairy Cakes with Sprinkles
      Amount per Serving
      Calories
      233
      % Daily Value*
      Fat
       
      5
      g
      8
      %
      Saturated Fat
       
      1
      g
      6
      %
      Trans Fat
       
      0.003
      g
      Polyunsaturated Fat
       
      0.2
      g
      Monounsaturated Fat
       
      0.3
      g
      Cholesterol
       
      27
      mg
      9
      %
      Sodium
       
      12
      mg
      1
      %
      Potassium
       
      26
      mg
      1
      %
      Carbohydrates
       
      45
      g
      15
      %
      Fiber
       
      0.2
      g
      1
      %
      Sugar
       
      36
      g
      40
      %
      Protein
       
      4
      g
      8
      %
      Vitamin A
       
      44
      IU
      1
      %
      Vitamin C
       
      0.2
      mg
      0
      %
      Calcium
       
      16
      mg
      2
      %
      Iron
       
      1
      mg
      6
      %
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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      More Easy Christmas Recipes

      • Dark chocolate tiffin bars on a wooden board.
        Dark Chocolate and Ginger Tiffin Recipe
      • Mincemeat flapjacks on a wooden board.
        Easy Mincemeat Flapjacks Recipe
      • White chocolate cranberry blondies cut into bars.
        Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
      • A stack of mincemeat crumble slices on a wooden board.
        Easy Mincemeat Crumble Slices Recipe

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Sheila

        December 05, 2022 at 2:05 pm

        5 stars
        A lovely simple Christmas recipe to make with kids. The sponges were light and fluffy!

        Reply
      5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Hi, I'm Beth!

      Mum of three (and two crazy dogs), living in Cornwall, UK. I love creating easy, delicious and fuss-free recipes, perfect for busy families, just like my own.

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